Just wanted to wish my friends Dan and Moonrise happy tidings on this, their wedding day! (It was a fantastic wedding, good times had by all.)
Also wanted to wish Jessica a happy happy birthday in about 3 minutes. Happy birthday, sweetie!
Yearly Archives: 2008
Too Much Clutter
It may be a fruitless endeavor, but I’m trying to think about how to better organize my life. I have a lot of (often) disparate interests — keeping track of them has proven to be cumbersome and problematic, not withstanding my current living situation itself being chaotic.
I’d like to make a concerted effort to improve my organization and workflow, so that I might actually post, and more importantly, create. And do so in the places appropriate to the subject — this single-site consolidation I’ve done may have been a mistake. Well, just as a heads up, I may be incommunicado for a little bit longer, while I figure out what the hell I’m doing.
Where is Nabil?
Way out in the water, see me swimming.
We’ve been experiencing some radio silence here, and I think it’s time to do something about that. The past month has been a busy one, starting off the month with a camping trip in the Hoh Rainforest out on the Olympic Peninsula with my girlfriend, followed very shortly afterward by a 12 day stint back east in Vermont and New Hampshire for a family reunion and annual trustee meeting, all of which went quite well and was a great time had by all.
I’ve been continuing to do the job hunting thing, with the occasional lucky break that has yet to pan out. Case in point: while I was back east, I got an email from Microsoft about an SDET position that I’d applied for a few months back, wanting a phone interview. I arranged for that (standing out in Meredith, in the rain, as there is zero cell coverage at Squam, so this was basically my only option), and it went reasonably well. Lucky break! But, it has yet to pan out — I was told that HR would be in contact with me within a few days, two weeks ago. I’m not sweating it, though. They’ll either call or they won’t.
On the same day I got the email from Microsoft, I had a chat with my cousin and her boyfriend, who run Mac Ranch out in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I’m not sure how many realize it, but I do/did have my Apple support certifications, and it just so happens one of their techs is leaving sometime soon… so now I’m in the process of re-certifying and upgrading my Apple certs, with the awareness that I might be moving to Colorado if I don’t end up moving back to Seattle. I figure that regardless of whether the Mac Ranch or Microsoft gigs pan out, it’s 1) a good sign that I’m getting the occasional interview now; and 2) re-certifying is a worthwhile endeavor that could even potentially help me get a job here in Portland assuming I don’t take/get the two already mentioned.
We’ll see if it holds true, but in theory, I should know what I’m doing next by the end of the month. That will be a welcome change.
Patchwork Internet
Warren Ellis on the patchwork years of the internet. Interesting reading, and mirrors a lot of what I’ve been thinking and talking about.
Blog Lifecycle
- Blogger creates blog.
- A huge flurry of initial posts ensues. Blogger describes such mundane topics as taking his family to McDonaldâs.
- Blogger realizes that perhaps the rest of the world isnât so interested in his musings on McDonaldâs.
- Posting frequency drops off.
- A last post or two.
- Blog goes into hiatus.
[…]
- After some time away, blogger returns with a few posts.
Welcome back, Phil.
Moo Cards
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned them before, but their recent announcement for Moo Business Cards prompted me to call them out again. Each card can be customized, and allows for a wealth of photographic and other artistic material to be added and given away. Given the high quality, full-bleed custom work that is done, the pricing is really pretty good. Definitely worth checking out if you need some business cards done and want to do something a little different. MOO’s Website
Dr. Horrible
Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.
Found via Wil Wheaton. More information on this can be found here. The short of it, this is Joss Whedon’s new project, and it sounds AWESOME.
Amen, Sister
These last three years were God’s great kick in the teeth to me, and it hasn’t been easy. But things like these make me want to take back the ball and throw it really hard at the back of somebody’s head, like, I told you, motherfucker. If that makes sense, great. If not, I can’t explain it. (“Oh FUCK” by The Reverse Cowgirl)
Great blog, great writer, great quote.
I Knew It: Bad Boys Get Laid More Often
According to two recent studies, men exhibiting bad behavior (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism) tend to attract and bed significantly more women. Well, hell, anyone who went through high school could have told you that.
The study found that those who scored higher on the dark triad personality traits tended to have more partners and more desire for short-term relationships, Jonason reported at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society meeting in Kyoto, Japan, earlier this month. But the correlation only held in males. (New Scientist, “Bad guys really do get the most girls”)
No AP, Please
Patrick highlights recent unacceptable behavior on the part of AP over at Making Light. He makes some excellent points about how restrictive and ridiculous this sort of attempt at strong-arming individuals can be. A core principle of copyright law is the role of “fair use” to allow others to provide feedback, response, analysis, and commentary on a given work or material, since copyright law itself is provided as an incentive to promote scientific and cultural advancement. A blogger referencing (e.g. linking to the article, quoting specific passages, or re-summarizing/restating the basis of the article) a work clearly falls within this principle, on several fronts.
I will concede such cases as where the majority or entirety of the article is quoted, in particular in situations where it is done so without commentary, but that’s not what’s being discussed, here. What’s happening in THIS circumstance is pure, unbridled greed, without even a nod to the law as it stands.
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include â
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors. (Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107)